The New Age of Konoha
by N0M0R3
Summary: As Naruto and friends take up their roles in Konoha as they enter true adulthood, the village's youth begins to burn paths for themselves. So much lies ahead, but the Will of Fire still shines bright in the village's new rookies. "From one generation to the next, the following one will continue to surpass the previous." -Kakashi Hatake; Next Generation Story
1. The Will of Fire Sparks

**Full Summary: **_As Naruto and friends take up their roles in Konoha as they enter true adulthood, the village's youth begins to burn paths for themselves. So much lies ahead, but the Will of Fire still shines bright in the village's new rookies. "From one generation to the next, the following one will continue to surpass the previous." -Kakashi Hatake_

* * *

**I've thought about doing something like this for a long time. So, here it is! I hope you all enjoy and if you want to tell me what you think in a review.**

**Also, if anyone was wondering, Naruto and friends are 24, 25, and 26 at this point with the new students being 12.**

* * *

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter One:_  
_The Will of Fire Sparks_

The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Ever since the Fourth Shinobi World War, it has been known as the strongest village in existence. Multiple factors make this possible, but many believe it to be because of the Hokage that has watched over the village even before the title was placed upon him. Naruto Uzumaki, the sixth Hokage of Konoha, was not only the village's hero but also the world's hero. Alongside his many friends, he stopped the world from falling into an eternal dream.

Those that stand out from the rest that were there on the battlefield are Naruto's own teammates since their genin days, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. Both, like Naruto, have been recognized over and over again for their bravery and strength during the exhausting battle. The duo hold many different roles these days but are still devoted ninja of the Leaf Village nonetheless.

All three proudly hold the title Sanin now but unlike their predecessors, they've chosen to stay in the village to remain a constant threat to enemies that even think about attacking their home. They also remain a constant inspiration to the youth that aspires to be brave ninja just like them someday.

For some, today is that day.

* * *

"Alright class, please quiet down and have a seat," A dark-haired woman with pearl eyes called out to the crowded classroom of excited graduates. She smiled as they all did so. "I know you're all very excited and I am too. It's a pleasure to now call you all fellow shinobi." This got a cheer from the classroom which only made the woman smile more. "However, instead of running off on your own, you'll all be placed on a team of three with a jounin being your instructor to further...well, instruct you."

A hand rose from the crowd which she recognized with a nod. "But Hinata Sensei, what if we don't get along with those on our squad?"

The woman, Hinata Hyuga, soon to be Uzumaki, smiled with a sigh. "Well, all I can say is that's a bridge you'll eventually have to cross together." With there seeming to be no more questions, Hinata picked up her sheets and began calling out names. After a few teams, she got to the fourth one. "On Team Four is Kenji Hyuga..."

A boy sat up a little straighter at the sound of his name. Like Hinata, he had dark hair parted down the middle but had it only come as far as slightly past his chin in the front with the back being cut shorter and pearl eyes. However, where Hinata's bangs were was the place he wore his forehead protector. He wore an off white, zip up vest with a black, short sleeve shirt underneath with a collar that stood up around most of his neck. He also had on black pants, the typical shoes a shinobi wore at that young age, and had bandages on his arms that didn't reach his elbows.

As Kenji looked around curiously at who could be his two new comrades, Hinata continued on.

"...Takashi Yamanaka..."

Another boy snorted from the back and tried to hold back his smirk at Kenji but failed. He had blonde hair that was long enough in the front to fall in front of his right eye while it was short in the back and the blue, pupilless eyes like all others in his clan. He wore a black shirt with fish net sleeves that had an open, dark blue vest thrown over it with his forehead protector sewn onto the right side of his vest's collar. For bottoms, he simply wore black pants that stopped right after his knees and had the rest of his legs banged up and wore the traditional shinobi shoes.

"...And Masa Inuzuka," Hinata finished off.

"Wha...?" A lazy voice called out, making the class all look in the direction it came from.

With a yawn, a short girl slowly sat up straight in her seat, obviously still half asleep like the small, reddish brown dog hiding in the front of her jacket. Like most people in the dog loving clan, she had messy brown hair that once looked like a cute pixie cut but had now grown out into messy, barely chin length hair with her overgrown bangs swept to the side, though it came close in covering her right eye, while the other side was pinned back behind her ear with black clips. The other features she shared with her clan were the red, triangular marks on her cheeks and her brown eyes. She wore a sleeveless, dark brown hoodie with black fur on the hood that was a size or two too big to go with her black, fingerless gloves that reached her elbows and black shorts that reached mid-thigh. The same as the rest, she wore the typical ninja shoes. Like most girls, she wore her forehead protector around her waist.

As Hinata continues on with the teams, Kenji looked between both of his new comrades while they did the same, except Masa was petting her small dog. Kenji and Takashi shared a glare before turning away from each other and Masa simply sighed and silently spoke to her little companion in her hoodie.

* * *

Not far from the academy, Rock Lee was taking a small stroll before heading that way. As he walked, he wore a bright smile on his face and looked down at a sheet of paper with the pictures of the students he'd soon be mentoring. He stopped and chuckled a little, excitement bubbling up and out of him it seemed. "Team Four. Yes. I quite like the sound of that."

* * *

Team Four quietly ate their lunch together out under a large tree near the academy. No one made eye contact or looked at one another. The only one who seemed to not really care was Masa's small dog, who was eating off of everyone's lap without them noticing. At least until Kenji felt pressure on his leg and looked down then frowned.

"Uh...no," Kenji said, trying to be as polite as he could as he pushed the small dog away but she wouldn't listen. "Uh...sit...uh..."

"Chiharu,"Masa suddenly said.

Kenji looked up at her. "Huh?"

"Her name's Chiharu," She repeated then whistled, getting the small dog's attention. Chiharu turned and barked and happily ate the rest of the sandwich Masa fed her. She petted her companion then looked at them. "So, you guys okay with dogs, right?"

Takashi shrugged. "Yeah. Dogs are cool, I guess."

Kenji nodded then mumbled, "As long as they don't eat my food without permission."

Masa laughed and punched Kenji in the shoulder. The Hyuga forced a laugh but rubbed his possibly bruised shoulder when she turned away to look at Chiharu. The small dog was currently catching little bits of ham Takashi was throwing towards her. As she caught the last piece, she barked and wagged her tail. Masa snickered and scratched her back. Kenji watched quietly, finishing up his lunch.

After a few moments, he stood up. "Well, we better head back to the classroom or else we'll be late."

Takashi rose an eyebrow. "We still have ten minutes."

"Better early than late," Kenji said with a bright smile then gathered his things and headed back to the academy.

Masa and Takashi shared a look before standing up and following him after gathering their own things with Chiharu close behind. It didn't surprise them that they were the first group back in the classroom. It did surprise them though that Hinata's fiancé, the Hokage of Konoha, had taken time to visit her during her lunch. The three just stood back, shocked.

"I should get home around that time," Hinata was saying to the blonde. She then stopped and looked over at her students, blushing slightly. "Oh...you three are back quite early."

Slowly, Takashi pulled himself together and nodded. "Yeah...Kenji wanted to go ahead and come back and we just went along with it."

As Takashi took a seat with Masa, who placed Chiharu back in the front of her jacket, Kenji huffed at him then turned his attention back to Hinata then Naruto before quickly bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hokage, sir!"

Naruto stared at him for a moment before chuckling and ruffling in his hair. "There's no need for that. Stand up straight and let me get a look at you...Yep. I can definitely see the Hyuga in you." He chuckled and looked at the other two members, trying to put two and two together. "So, let me guess, this is-"

"Team Four!" Lee suddenly shouted as he burst into the room. "Be prepared to be amazed, for I am Rock Lee, your new instructor and also the one who will show you the Power of Youth!"

No one said a thing. They were all silent, especially Team Four, who were in shock at their new sensei's abrupt and loud entrance. Lee slowly let his smile fall and looked around, noticing how empty the classroom was then looked at Naruto then at the three young rookies. He smiled again.

"I see you've already met the Hokage! Way to go!" Lee cheered, giving them a thumbs up.

Naruto laughed but tried to muffle it and turned away and whispered to Hinata. "Those kids are going to have a heck of a time..."

Hinata could only sigh at her two old friends as Naruto continued trying to hold his laughter while Lee went into a speech about Youth with his new team as more students started coming in, looking at the scene with a mixture of both confusion and amusement.

* * *

"Alright, Team Four," Lee said as he stood before the three young shinobi on a roof not far from the academy. He then sat down and smiled. "Why don't you tell me about yourselves?"

"Like?" Kenji asked, not sure where to begin.

"Hmm..." He thought for a moment then looked to them. "I'll start! My name is Rock Lee. I like intense training and relaxing by taking laps around the village." All three looked at each other oddly as he continued. "I'm not fond of failure so when I do I train even harder than before as a punishment. This is to help prove to everyone that even if you're a ninja that only uses taijutsu, you can still be one of the greatest, that is my dream."

Kenji rose an eyebrow. "Hmm...interesting."

"Alright! Ladies first!" Lee said, pointing to Masa.

The brunette jumped, startled. She then petted Chiharu, who was slightly unsettled by the sudden movement, to calm her down. "Well, I'm Masa Inuzuka and this is Chiharu. I like running around the Inuzuka compound and racing all my cousins throughout the village to get to the gates. I don't really like vegetables or fruit and I really don't like being forced to clean up the dirt me and Chiharu track into the house. And my goal is to prove to everyone that I'm not the runt of the family."

Lee nodded. "Good. Next...?" He then looked at Kenji.

Kenji gulped but spoke clearly. "I'm Kenji Hyuga. I like studying and visiting the hospital to help out when I can. I don't like being forced to train with my older and stronger family members who take advantage of my inexperience in a fight. I also don't like spicy foods unless it's a sauce on chicken. My goal is to prove to my family that I'm just as useful as they are by becoming a medical ninja instead of following the typical path a Hyuga shinobi usually goes."

"Interesting," Lee replied, thinking back to a certain pink haired ninja. He then looked at Takashi. "Last but not least."

The blonde sighed. "My name is Takashi Yamanaka. I like relaxing in the sun and spending time in the Yamanaka flower shop. I don't like being bossed around by our clan head, Ino, or my mom. And for goals...well, I don't really have one to be honest. I guess get stronger? Earn a good living then retire happy might be a simple but good one. I'm okay with that."

"I see..." Lee nodded again. He then smiled and stood up, gaining their attention again. "Well, that ends our first team meeting. Tomorrow, I want you all to meet me at the village gates for your final exam."

"Final exam?" Masa questioned, sitting up.

"Yep. This exam will determine if you really become genin," Lee answered.

"What?" Kenji asked, shocked.

Lee nodded. "Yep! Not many pass so be prepared. But keep in mind, my test isn't like any other one you've ever had!"

With that, he vanished in a poof of smoke, leaving the three rookies to look at each other questionably, only wondering what their new sensei could have up his sleeve for them.

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**Not going to lie but I'm quite proud of this so far! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and come back for more to see what happens to Team Four!**


	2. The Spirit of the Leaves

**I'm having a lot of fun with this story guys! I hope you're enjoying it!**

**To el Guero: Yes, we will get to see the rest of Team Gai along with many other familiar faces.**

* * *

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter Two:_  
_The Spirit of the Leaves_

The next morning came quick and the village slowly began to come alive with the morning crowd as everyone prepared for the day. In the Hokage Tower, Naruto was already at his desk. However, instead of doing paperwork, he was eating his breakfast of instant ramen in a cup. As he leaned back in his chair, getting ready for the day, he heard a knock at the door.

Quickly, he hid his ramen in a drawer before grunting, "Come in!" To his surprise, it was Lee. He gave a sigh of relief and pulled his breakfast back out. "Hey bushy-brow. What's up?"

"I came to ask your opinion on something," Lee answered, surprisingly very serious.

Naruto rose an eyebrow, his full attention on Lee now. "Uh...go ahead?"

* * *

As a gentle breeze blew through the village, disturbing some of the leaves on the ground, Takashi ran out of the Yamanaka flower shop, a nagging Ino shouting out to him. Quickly, he dashed down the street, around the corner, and out of her sight. After a few moments, he sighed, thankful he was able to escape a long lecture from her. He then looked around before heading in the direction of the village gates.

Walking at a comfortable pace, he took this time to look around at his surroundings. He saw kids running around, playing tag or another common game from childhood. There were men and women, walking and talking, some holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to each other. He shook his head, knowing full well the men, and even some of the women, will be in the flower shop later to buy each other a special gift.

Breaking the peace of the everyday scene, he heard a familiar bark. He turned and looked behind him just in time to see Masa jump on his back, Chiharu in her jacket like usual. He shouted in shock then laughed, grabbing her legs to make sure she didn't fall off. "Hey, Masa."

The small brunette grabbed his shoulders. "Hey Takashi. Mind if I catch a ride?"

He shrugged. "Nope. Have you seen Kenji?"

"Nope," Masa replied. "Knowing him though, he's probably already there."

Takashi nodded. "I bet..."

As if on cue, the village's gate came into view and there stood Kenji, waiting patiently for his team to arrive. However, he was too busy reading a book, which seemed to be about medicine and such, to notice his teammates come walking up. When they were right beside them, Chiharu barked, making him jump.

He then looked at them and sighed. "Guys...I was wondering when you'd get here."

"Sorry," Takashi started. "Ino was nagging me again."

"And I overslept," Masa threw in with a bark from Chiharu to her human companion. "Yes, I know you tried to wake me but you're not very good at it.

Kenji sighed. "You guys can't be so careless. What if you were late?"

"But we're not," Takashi replied.

"But you could have been," Kenji said, sounding a little annoyed.

"But we're not," Takashi repeated.

Masa sighed. "Hey, hey, hey. Calm down." As she got down from Takashi, she placed her hand on her hips. "You guys can't argue. It's too early to deal with that."

"Fine," They huffed in unison.

"Good!" She proclaimed with a smile and a punch to in the shoulder to both, probably bruising them.

As both rubbed their shoulders, their teacher suddenly appeared before them in a puff of smoke and a wide smile. "Team Four! Are you ready for your final exam?" All three nodded and got into defensive positions. "Great! For your final exam, you must...catch the Spirit of the Leaves!"

No one moved. It was completely silent for at least a good minute. Finally, Kenji broke the silence. "Um...what?"

"Don't tell me you have never heard of the Spirit of the Leaves!" Lee said, shocked. When the genin shook their heads, he gasped. "Impossible!"

"Tells us about it!" Masa shouted, her curiosity peaked.

"Where should I begin?" Lee asked no one in particular. "For years, the Spirit has roamed the forest right outside the village gates. However, many do not believe he exists. But I have seen him! He has a huge, wooden head with leaves for hair and a hunch back. To help prove of his existence, you three will catch him."

"Alright! We can do that!" Masa proclaimed with a smirk as Chiharu barked confidently.

"Don't be so cocky, Masa," Lee said. "He's very smart and deadly. On clouded nights, many ninja leaving for missions go missing on their way out and are never seen again." Kenji trembled in fear. "Well, I'll be waiting here. If you three can catch him, you are officially genin. Good luck!" With that, he gave them a thumbs up.

Takashi huffed and ran into the forest with his teammates following him. "Man, this better be worth it."

* * *

Naruto looked out the Hokage Tower over the village. His eyes then traveled over to the village gates. He smiled slightly. "Team Four...Hmm. Lee was right. They're a very interesting team. I hope they're able to handle Lee and his exam. I'd actually like to see where they go."

* * *

"My feet hurt..." Masa suddenly whined with Chiharu joining in.

"Well, I wouldn't know how with you riding on my back!" Kenji shouted, holding onto Masa's legs as she now road on his back. He then sighed. "Why can't you just walk?"

"Lazy..." Masa muttered.

"That's not a very good quality in a shinobi..." Kenji muttered back. Masa shrugged. Takashi only chuckled at them. The young Hyuga then sighed. "This is ridiculous though."

"What is?" Masa asked.

"This final exam," Kenji huffed. "It's setting us up to fail obviously. There's no such thing as the Spirit of the Leaves."

"You seemed pretty convinced back there, scaredy cat," Takashi mocked.

Kenji stopped and glared at him. "I was not."

"You kind of were," Masa chuckled then sniffed. "I can still smell fear on you."

"Masa!" Kenji scolded. He almost dropped her. Almost. He was too polite to do such a thing to her. He then sighed and looked at Takashi. "Look, I say we come up with a plan because I'm sure we can all agree that this guy doesn't-"

They all suddenly froze at the sound of rustling bushes. Slowly, the three turned to look at the bush to their left, seeing something was obviously shifting around in it. Slowly, they backed away, careful to not make a noise. At least until Kenji stepped on a twig. Again, they froze. When nothing happened for nearly a minute, they looked at each other and sighed in relief, relaxing.

A scream then filled the area as a figure rose from the bushes abruptly. It had a huge, wooden head with leaves for hair and a hunch back. As it continued screaming, it jumped closer to them. With that, the three young genin let loose a united scream of terror before running away.

* * *

From the village gates, Team Four's screams could be heard. The shinobi guarding the gates looked towards the forest with worried looks. Lee simply smirked. "So its begun." He then took off into the forest himself.

* * *

As Team Four caught their breath leaning against a few trees, they also gathered their senses and courage again. Masa looked at her teammates then pet Chiharu, trying to calm her down. She then stood up straight and looked around, glad that they had lost the Spirit. She then looked back at her teammates as they stood up straight also, looking a little better now.

"Alright," Kenji began. "So it wasn't a lie."

"What do we do?" Masa questioned.

Takashi sighed. "Alright. First, we should probably catch him by surprise. But we have to find him before he finds us. Kenji, go ahead and activate your Byakugan and find him."

"Uh..." Kenji began. "I...can't."

Both gave him an odd look before Masa spoke. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I...I can't use my Byakugan..." Kenji muttered, staring at the ground.

"Why not?" Takashi asked, sounding annoyed.

"I haven't been able to use it yet, okay?" Kenji shouted suddenly.

Masa stared at him in shock. "Kenji...we had no idea..."

"Well, now you know..." He muttered.

"You're not serious..." Takashi said. With a nod from Kenji, he turned around. "I can't believe this. This is pathetic. I thought you were like a genius. How come you haven't figured it out?"

Kenji only shrugged. Masa frowned and patted his shoulder then glared at Takashi. "Listen, we can't do this. If we're going to pass, we can't dwell on our shortcomings. We can just think of something else."

"No offense, but I'm not failing and going back to the academy because of you guys," Takashi suddenly said. He started walking away. "I'm out."

"What?" Masa shouted, shocked, and roughly grabbed his shoulder.

As the team continued arguing, they were unaware of the eyes that were watching them from up in a tree, plotting against them.

* * *

**Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter! And I hope you're okay that I didn't use the bell test. I think that's better kept as a Team Seven only thing.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think guys and I hope to see you next time!**


	3. Split Forces

**Hi guys! Back with another chapter already! Anyway, I want to thank you guys for reading and el Guero and MelissaKatherine for reviewing! It means a lot!**

**Also, go check out MelissaKatherine's story called **_Mokuren_**. It's really good!**

* * *

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter Three:_  
_Split Forces_

"Fine! Leave! We'll capture him without you!" Masa continued screaming into the forest, long after Takashi had vanished from her sight. Chiharu whimpered, hoping it'd get her companion to stop but there was no stopping her now. "We'll pass and you won't! That's right! You heard me!"

Meanwhile, Kenji was busy sulking by a tree in the fetal position, quietly blaming himself for everything wrong in the universe. Once the young Inuzuka calmed down, she noticed his depressing state and immediately tried comforting him. Though it didn't help much seeing as she could only get simple grunts from him as replies.

She then groaned, petting Chiharu. "Well, girl, I guess we're on our own."

The pearl eyed boy ignored her still. That is until she suddenly lifted him onto her back, taking him completely by surprise. "What the-? Masa! How can you pick me up?"

"What? You're not that heavy," Masa replied, trying to smirk but Kenji noticed that she was struggling.

He sighed. "Put me down before you hurt yourself then we really won't pass."

* * *

Quietly, Lee peeked out from behind a bush. There, in plain view, stood one of his students, Takashi to be specific. He wasn't very happy with his student right now. After all, he should have learned in the academy that teamwork was a key to, well, a team! However, he was very interested to see what the young Yamanaka would do now that he was without any backup, hoping he'd show something interesting if the Spirit happened to show up.

_Takashi Yamanaka..._ Lee thought to himself, his mind going back to yesterday.

* * *

_"I'm coming!" Lee heard from inside the Yamanaka house. More specifically, Ino Yamanaka's house. He would have gone and spoken with his new student's parents but he thought that maybe Ino would be just as helpful. The door swung open, seeing a tired looking Ino, yet she looked surprised to see him. "Lee?"_

_He nodded. "Hi, Ino. Mind if I have a quick word with you?"_

_"Uh, no, I guess," Ino replied and slowly moved, letting him in. "Is everything okay? This isn't about Sakura, is it? Because you know that she's with-"_

_"No, no, no," Lee said, blushing slightly at the name of the powerful medic. "It's about one of my new students."_

_"New students?" Ino asked, confused. "Wait! Did you get the Ino-Shika-Cho team?"_

_"Huh?" Lee gave her a confused look before realizing what she was talking about and quickly shook his head. "Oh! No, no, no. I just got the Ino part. Takashi Yamanaka to be more specific."_

_"Takashi?" Ino questioned, thinking. She then frowned. "That can't be right...He was supposed to be with that Nara boy and Akimichi girl. What happened?"_

_Lee shrugged. "I don't know. But lets not dwell on that."_

_"Lee, it's tradition __that-"_

_"Ino," Lee interrupted, irritating her further but she remained silent, deciding to hear him out. "I don't have much time. I'd just like to know a little more about him."_

_The blonde woman stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Fine. Come have a seat then and I'll pour you some tea. I'll try to be quick but you should still be comfortable."_

_Lee nodded and followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table, seeing a lot of paint supplies lying around as Ino prepared a cup for each of them. "Is Sai busy today?"_

_Ino nodded, smiling slightly at the name of her husband. "Yeah. He's painting a picture for Naruto today."_

_"Really? Of what?" Lee questioned._

_"He wouldn't tell me. He said it was a top secret assignment," Ino sighed then sat down herself, handing him his tea. "Anyway, lets get down to business. What do you want to know?"_

_"Well, I guess maybe about his home life, what you know about him, and what I should expect," Lee replied simply._

_"Hmm..." Ino thought for a moment then began. "Well, Takashi was raised by his mother, who expects a lot out of him. Though the woman is my kin, I will admit, she's crazy. But, anyway, Takashi will purposely disregard her wishes for him. He's very laid back because of this. He's not really one to make an effort."_

_"Even in his training?" Lee asked, hoping beyond hope this kid wouldn't give him a hard time about at leas training._

_Ino chuckled. "There's where you get lucky. He focuses a lot on his training."_

_Lee smiled. "That's reassuring."_

_Ino nodded. "Yep. Trust me, you can only expect good things from him. But also expect his attitude and how laid back he can be at times. Other than that, he's a pretty good kid. I mean, he even helps out at the flower shop when he can."_

_"That's good to here," Lee then took a sip of his tea. "I hope he works well with his teammates."_

_"If you don't mind me asking, who are his teammates?" Ino questioned._

_"Masa Inuzuka and Kenji Hyuga," Lee answered._

_Ino tapped her chin, trying to put the names with faces. "Hmm...I think I know who they are. Wait! An Inuzuka and a Hyuga? How did this happen?"_

_"Ino, I-"_

_"This ruins the Ino-Shika-Cho tradition! How did this happen? Why does it-"_

_"Ino!" Lee shouted, trying to calm the woman down._

_She stared at him, shocked by him suddenly yelling at her. She then sighed again. "Sorry...It's just a big thing around here."_

_"Well, you don't need to worry," Lee replied, a smile coming back to his face._

_"Why's that?" The blonde questioned, pouting slightly._

_"Because as far as I'm concerned, there will soon be a new formation!" Lee shouted proudly. "Together, they will work as one shinobi, being the perfect team!"_

_Ino smirked. "The perfect team, huh? I'd like to see that."_

_"You will," Lee nodded then stood before bowing to her. "Thank you for your hospitality. I must go now. I hope to visit you again soon to inform you of amazing progress with Takashi and the rest of Team_ _Four."_

_Ino smiled. "Until then."_

* * *

Lee shook the memories away, trying to refocus once again. Lucky for him, all it took was a scream from the direction Takashi had come from to get his attention reset. Quickly, the jounin ran in its direction.

* * *

Before Masa and Kenji stood the Spirit, his form seeming to tower over their small bodies. Chiharu whined and tried to hide further in Masa's jacket, scared of this strange creature. In a way, Kenji also seemed to be trying to hide by standing partly behind his teammate. The brunette cursed and pulled out a kunai and got into a defensive position with the fact that she might be all on her own here dawning on her.

"Come at me, Spirit!" Masa shouted, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to control her trembling legs. "You don't scare me!"

The Spirit seemed all too happy to oblige, taking her challenge on by running straight at her. Before his wooden fist could make contact, the Inuzuka moved out of the way just in time, pulling her terrified comrades with her. As Kenji rested by a bush, Masa handed him Chiharu, seeing as she wasn't going to be much help at this moment either. Her attention then returned back to her opponent. He moved slowly as he stood back up and turned his head to her, his black, empty eyes zoning in right on her.

Before he could move, she did. With a battle cry, she threw her kunai at him. He stepped sideways, watching as it stuck itself into a tree trunk. He turned around just in time to block a punch from her then used his arm to knock her to his side and into another tree, a loud shout of pain escaping her. As she trembled on the ground, trying to overcome the pain to get to her feet, the Spirit turned his eyes onto Kenji.

Scared, he held to Chiharu like a safety blanket. The small dog only squirmed, wanting to hide behind him for protection. He advanced towards the two, his body seeming to wobble under his own weight. As Kenji took note of this, he reached into his tool pouch and retrieved three shuriken and threw them at the enemy. However, the Spirit seemed to not even notice as the weapons lodged themselves into its head and continued to advance closer to him.

Gathering his courage, Kenji stood up, letting Chiharu down and got into a defensive position, trying to focus and think clearly. He then ran at the creature. This caught it off guard, making it stumble back, losing its foot. Taking advantage of the situation, the Hyuga jumped into the air and kicked him onto his back. He landed close to Masa, who seemed to be getting over the pain in her back quickly. Picking up Chiharu, Masa made a move to attack again. However, Kenji had other plans.

He quickly threw his teammate onto his shoulder and ran away from the struggling creature. "Takashi! Where are you?"

* * *

Part of Lee wanted to laugh while another part wanted to sigh in disappointment. However, he just simply shook his head and watched as the young genin fled. _Kenji Hyuga...Masa Inuzuka..._

* * *

_Hinata sat in front of Lee in her desk, looking very much like Iruka to him in that moment. Maybe it was the teacher vibe coming from her or the fact that she was now in his place. Whatever it was, he couldn't help but smile at the memories that went through his head of his academy days._

_"You wish to know about Kenji?" Hinata questioned._

_Lee nodded quickly, pulling himself out of the past so he could focus on the present. "Yes. I feel like I might get a better idea of how I can mentor him if I got more information on him."_

_"Well, I assumed you could get it from Kenji himself," Hinata replied. She then sighed. "But I'll tell you what I can."_

_Lee smiled. "Great!"_

_"To begin, Kenji is very...scholarly," Hinata said, unsure if she used the right word to describe him. When Lee gave her an odd look, she sighed and continued. "Kenji is very dedicated to studying everything behind being a ninja and such...However, when it comes to his training, he's not given it much attention. He has the brains of a shinobi, I just don't know if he can actually put it to use..."_

_Lee nodded again. "I see..."_

_"Because of this, he hasn't even activated his Byakugan yet," Hinata added._

_At this, the jounin sprung up, shocked. "Impossible!"_

_Hinata sighed, sadly looking at her clasped hands on the desk. "Sadly, its not. The only things I see him practicing fall into the medic ninja department. He has quite a fascination with it." She smiled at this. "He's told me that he wants to be more to his team than just a set of eyes."_

_At that, Lee calmed down. He still didn't know how to feel about the Byakugan situation, but he knew he liked hearing Hinata say this about him wanting to be a medic. "That's very good to hear. Besides, I would hate for him to feel that way."_

_Hinata nodded. "Is there anything else?"_

_"Well, what about his family life? And his general attitude?" Lee asked, noticing the time and realizing he better wrap this up quick._

_The dark haired woman thought for a moment before speaking again. "Kenji lives with his uncle actually, who's very grumpy, I will admit. He tends to push him to do more training. However, I've noticed Kenji blatantly ignore this and focus on his research about medical ninja."_

_"His uncle?" Lee questioned._

_"Yes, he's an older member of the clan," Hinata replied. "Anyway, other than that, Kenji is a relatively good kid. Though he can be quiet and scared easily, he'll quickly give in his opinion on something if he can."_

_"Alright," Lee said, clenching his fists and smiling. "Thank you for your time. I'm sure I'll bring to you a wonderful medic soon."_

_Hinata could only smile. "I hope so."_

_Before Lee could even turned to the door, it opened and Kiba Inuzuka suddenly walked in with Akamaru. Lee smiled at this, seeing as he was just about to go talk to the Inuzuka Clan Head anyway. However, Kiba didn't seem to notice him and his eyes were immediately on Hinata, obviously something on his mind. Lee, deciding to be quiet for a moment, decided to just wait until his business was settled._

_"Hinata, I heard about Masa's team from Ino. How did that happen?" Kiba questioned, leaning against her desk._

_Hinata sighed, already having Ino come to her about this. "Kiba, listen, I did not put the squads together."_

_"Wait, wait, wait," Kiba said, stopping her before she could go on any further. "I'm not mad. I was just curious if it was true or if blondie had finally lost it. Though, I think that happened when she married Sai."_

_The woman chuckled. "It's true. Masa is on Team Four with Kenji Hyuga and Takashi Yamanaka."_

_Kiba nodded, thinking over the names. "I see..." Finally, the man noticed Lee standing off to the side quietly. "Uh, hey Lee. What're you doing here?"_

_"Speaking to Hinata about my squad," Lee answered. "In fact, I was just about to come and talk to you about one of my new students."_

_Kiba stared at him for a moment before he realized what was going on and snickered. "You're Team Four's sensei, aren't you?"_

_Lee smiled proudly. "Yes! Team Four is now under my tutelage and shall soon be training harder than ever!"_

_"I can see that," Kiba chuckled, crossing his arms after petting Akamaru's head. "Take it easy on Masa though, okay? Mess up and her seven brothers will come and get you."_

_Lee almost paled. "Seven brothers..."_

_"And they're all older brothers," The brunette added. "Yeah, Masa's basically the runt of the family. She's always trying to prove herself though. That's a little spitfire you got there, Lee. Good luck."_

_Lee nodded. "Yes...I assume she's very dedicated to her training?"_

_"Well, it depends on what you consider training," Kiba chuckled back. "I mean, yeah, she trains, but can get easily distracted and just starts racing Chiharu around the house."_

_"Alright," Lee replied, starting to leave. "I understand."_

_"Excited?" Kiba asked._

_Lee stopped and turned to him. He gave him a quick smile. "More than ever!"_

* * *

"Kenji! Put me down! I can take him!" Masa shouted, pounding on her teammate's back with her tiny fists. "Come on! I can do this! Just give me a chance!"

Kenji huffed and finally came to a stop. Carefully, he put the feisty girl down, seeing that the pain from the earlier attack was now gone. He sighed in relief before stopping her rant to go back and fight the Spirit. "Masa, we can't. We have to find Takashi first."

Masa snorted. "Why? He left us."

"Yes, but now that we know what we're fighting, he might listen," Kenji offered, hoping he could talk some sense into her.

"Fine," Masa finally whined. "I guess we can."

Kenji smiled happily at her. "Great! Now...where could he be?"

"Can you sense his chakra?" Masa asked.

"Hmm..." Kenji focused for a moment then looked at her, a panicked look on his face. "Yes, but he's heading straight for where we just were!"

"Oh no!" Masa shouted. "The Spirit will destroy him on his own." Immediately she began to run back. "We can't let that jerk get killed on the first day!"

Kenji followed. "Masa! Wait! You don't understand!"

"What don't I und-" She then slammed into something hard. She groaned as she fell to the ground. When she heard Chiharu whimper, she slowly looked up to see the Spirit standing over her tiny form. Fear was clear on her face as she tried to get to her feet and get a weapon in hand as fast as she could. "S-Stay back!"

She threw a kunai at him as Kenji finally caught up to her, only to back up in shock. He then grabbed her arm and pulled on it. "Masa! Come on! We need to run!"

"No!" The brunette shouted, pulling her arm away. "I'm not backing down!"

"Masa!"

In a blink of an eye, the brunette dodged an attack from the creature, pulling Kenji back with her. She looked at him, her face telling him all he needed to know. He bit his lip but nodded and got out three shuriken as she got out a kunai. The Spirit simply stood back and watched, his empty face seeming to mock and challenge them. Leading them into the fight, Masa let out another battle cry as she charged at the creature with Chiharu giving a growl, ready to fight now.

* * *

Takashi looked around. He was definitely lost at this point. He knew that was Kenji screaming though. But he just didn't know where. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself so he could come up with a plan. However, the peace and quiet was interrupted again by another scream. However, this one was different. He knew it to be Masa's and he was sure it was her cry of battle. He then took off in its direction, a slight smirk coming onto his face.

* * *

**Well, that brings us to an end of chapter three. Yes, the genin aren't up to snuff yet but they'll eventually get there. Besides, they're still learning.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading and please tell me your thoughts in a review please! See you next time!**


	4. Sacrifice

**I want to thank you guys for all your support again. It means a lot, especially since I absolutely love writing this story.**

**Anyway, guys, you should definitely go read **_Kaito_** by hyoriu! Oh my gosh! It's so good and funny!**

**Alright, back to your regularly scheduled genin torture!**

* * *

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter Four:_  
_Sacrifice_

The Spirit stared at the advancing genin. That is, for a moment. In the blink of an eye, his huge, wooden fist sped towards them. Masa jumped up while Kenji dashed to the side. The dark haired boy then threw his shuriken at the monster, only having them get stuck in his wooden head like all the others. However, this distracted him from the girl that had landed on his back. Masa smirked and started carving her kunai into the back of his head.

"Masa! Quit playing around!" Kenji advised as the Spirit got closer to him.

Masa nodded as Chiharu growled and bit at his hair. Pulling her dog companion off, she jumped off, making an effort to push him forward with her feet. As she landed on a tree branch, she smirked at herself but frowned when she saw it falling towards Kenji. She shouted out to him but he was frozen in fear. She cursed and jumped down then ran up behind to help.

She then screamed in pain as the Spirit suddenly got its footing and actually used its wooden leg to slam into her stomach, sending her flying. Kenji gasped in shock. He made a move to run towards her but was forced back as a kick was sent flying his way now. He pearl eyes stared at the monster, fear rising higher in his throat, a scream wanting to fight its way out.

"Kenji..." Masa groaned, forcing herself to stand again. Chiharu was by her side, energy still seeming to vibrate through her, allowing her a good growl at the enemy. "I promise you...we'll live through this...and pass...and we'll be genin...together."

He could only stare at her, shocked at the determination in her voice. He then nodded, looking at the Spirit to see he had turned his head to Masa once again. He bit his lip then ran into him, shouting, trying to knock him down. He stumbled but it was enough to get his attention off Masa and back onto him. He backed away quickly.

"Masa! If you've got something, do it now!" Kenji shouted.

The brunette was already on it though. Quickly, she made the seal and four other Masas appeared, all holding kunai. Chiharu ran around them all, barking happily. The Masas smirked together before running around the Spirit, confusing it. Kenji smiled and copied Masa, four other Kenjis appearing. They all then pulled out a kunai also.

The mass of ninja then ran at the Spirit. At first, they could have sworn he looked scared. If he had, it was gone in a second when he spun in a circle, his leg outstretched, getting rid of all of the clones and knocking the two genin into each other then into a tree. As he let his leg down, he looked at them, laying on top of each other, both panting, exhausted. The only thing they could do now was stare up in fear as the Spirit towered over them.

* * *

Takashi skidded to a stop and looked around, trying to figure out where his teammates were. He cursed under his breath and tried to focus on their chakra. Unknown to him, Lee was watching from a nearby tree, cloaking his chakra so he couldn't sense him. After a moment, the blonde ninja looked in the direction he sensed his teammates and took off, preparing to attack the third unknown charkra signature he sensed with his team.

* * *

Kenji grunted again as the Spirit tightened the ropes that held him and Masa tied to a tree. He groaned weakly and looked over at his brunette teammate. As of a few minutes ago, the Inuzuka had lost consciousness and was now limply hanging from the tree. He panted, still catching his breath, then looked at the Spirit, who finally finished his work and backed away to look at the helpless genin on the tree, letting out a raspy laugh.

Chiharu whimpered, stuck under the Spirit's arm. Kenji looked at him, frightened and unsure of what to do. Where was their sensei? If he didn't come soon...Lee might not have a team to send back to the academy when this is all said and done. As the seconds flew by and the Spirit began circling around them, seeming to think about what to do with them, the Hyuga was trying to figure out if Lee could be charged with murder if this creature killed them.

After about a good ten minutes, Kenji finally spoke to the beast. "Whatever you're going to do, get it over with! Your pacing is torture enough!" The Spirit stopped at his words and looked at him oddly, tilting his head to the side in a confused manner. "You stupid...brainless..."

"Kenji! Masa!" Takashi's voice suddenly interrupted. The Spirit and Kenji looked at the blonde, seeing him standing on a tree branch that was practically right over the Spirit's head. The Yamanaka's signature pupilless eyes glared down at him. "Spirit. Let go of my teammates."

He and Kenji stiffened as the Spirit let out another laugh, stepping closer to the trapped genin. Slowly, Masa was beginning to come through, the laugh being the first thing to reach her ears. "Uh...what is that...awful noise?"

Kenji looked at her before quickly returning his attention back to the creature standing before him. His blood then ran cold when it finally spoke. "Genin...so weak and so young...yet so brave."

"Y-You talk!" Kenji screamed in shock.

"Of course I talk..." The Spirit continued. "Why's that so shocking?"

"Because you haven't said a single thing until now!" Masa called, stuck somewhere between angry and scared.

The Spirit laughed again, seeming to make Masa lean closer to angry and she furiously kicked her legs out at him, making Chiharu growl and attempt to bite him. He gave the small dog a squeeze, silencing them both before looking back to Takashi, his empty eyes seeming to bore right into the young ninja.

He clenched his fist. _Crap! What do I do?_

"Takashi Yamanaka," The Spirit suddenly wheezed, bringing the blonde out of his thoughts and making him stiffen in shock. "Quite laid back. Never really listened in class, did you? Did things your own way, right?"

"How do you...?" Takashi started, unable to really get all the words out and above a whisper.

Quickly, the Spirit pulled out a blade from out of one of his giant, wooden arms. Team Four stared at it, trembling in fear. He then swung the blade out, dangerously close to Masa and Kenji, before speaking again. "Because of your failures, your teammates will die." All three gasped. No one moved for what felt like forever. It was silent until the creature spoke once more. "However, I will spare them if you sacrifice your own life to me."

Takashi stared down at the Spirit. He had given him an impossible choice it seemed. He barely knew Masa and Kenji. However, they were his teammates, even though he abandoned them early on. He bit his lip thinking over his options. Was his own life really worth both theirs? He didn't know. He wasn't prepared for this.

When his body moved, it moved on its own it seemed and he was soon down from his branch, standing in front of the Spirit, not far from him at all. "Take me."

Masa's eyes widened. "No! Takashi! You can't! Run! Go get help!"

"Yeah!" Kenji nodded. "Don't sacrifice yourself!"

"My life is worthless in comparison to both of yours," Takashi replied, stepping closer to the Spirit, making him lower the blade. "We may not be friends but we are teammates and a ninja must work to protect them, knowing they would do the same. I shouldn't have left you two."

"Takashi..." Kenji began but couldn't find any words.

"Please!" Masa screamed. "I won't have your death hanging over my head forever, you jerk! You will live and we'll become ninja together! I promised Kenji and I'm not letting you make me break my promise!"

The Spirit chuckled, ignoring Masa, and put the blade away. "What wise words for such a young duckling...I guess there's only one thing for me to do now." He then lunged at him. Takashi shouted but didn't run away as the Spirit wrapped both arms tight around him. "You pass!"

Once again, everything went silent as all three rookies stared at him.

"What?" Takashi asked, trying to comprehend what was happening.

Lee then took this time to jump down from his hiding spot and smiled at the young rookies. "Yes! Team Four passes!"

"Huh?" Kenji asked, still confused.

"I don't get it," Masa muttered.

Lee sighed and looked to the Spirit. "You can take that off now."

"Thank goodness!" The Spirit said as it pulled off its head.

The three gasped. "You!"

* * *

**Cliff hanger! Anyway, please review and tell me what you think and who you think the Spirit was the whole time!**


	5. Faces from the Past

**Hey guys! Back with another chapter! I don't know when the next will be out honestly. To be honest all together, I don't know how I keep getting these things out so fast! I guess because they're a lot of fun!**

**But anyway...**

_MelissaKatherine_**: I know! But it should all make sense in this chapter...hopefully.**

_el_ _Guero_**: Nice guess but...**

* * *

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter Five:_  
_Faces from the Past_

The Spirit's false head fell from his body, along with his false arms, legs, and torso, the blade from earlier falling out of one of its huge, hollow arms. The team only stared at the older man, seeming to be dressed almost identical to Lee with what looked like the same haircut from behind. They tried to speak but nothing came out as the man turned to them and smiled widely, proving he could definitely pass for Lee's father.

"Yes! It's me!" The man declared. "Might Gai!"

Lee smiled and nodded quickly. "Team Four, this is Gai sensei, my former teacher. He taught me everything I know and thanks to him I'm the ninja I am today!"

"Okay..." Kenji replied. "But who doesn't know Gai?"

Masa huffed, ignoring Kenji's statement, struggling against the ropes. "But what about this test? What does it mean? And how did we pass? We didn't catch him!"

Lee looked at them all and sighed. "Everything can't be taught at the academy. Like bravery."

"What?" Takashi asked, still confused.

"A ninja must understand teamwork," Lee started. "They must also understand what it means to protect others, even if that means giving up their own life to do so."

"W...what do you mean?" Masa questioned again.

Lee looked to the ground and crossed his arms, a silence falling over the group. He then finally looked up to them. "Years ago, during the war, my friend and comrade sacrificed his life to protect those precious to him. He was a powerful ninja with a bright future ahead of him. He understood the responsibilities and consequences of the life of a shinobi better than anyone it seemed."

"You mean...Neji, don't you?" Kenji suddenly asked.

Lee nodded, quickly rubbing his eyes, turning away from them. "Yes, I do."

"Neji was a big part of this team," Gai muttered. "I know he didn't die in vain though."

"Right!" The younger jounin called and turned around, a bright smile on his face, surprising the group of his sudden mood change. "Neji's a war hero and I know that right now he's laughing at us for crying over him because he died an honorable death!"

"Lee!" Gai shouted and embraced his former student.

"Gai sensei!" Lee called, hugging the man back.

_These guys are weird..._ Team Four thought in unison, but a smile seemed to pull at each of their lips.

* * *

"As a celebration of Team Four officially passing and becoming genin," Gai began, leading Lee and his new team through the village. "Lunch is on me!"

Masa smiled and jumped up excitedly. "Oh! Oh! Where are we going to eat? Can we go to the Akimichi Barbeque?"

"Well, I don't have that much money on me at the moment," Gai replied. "But I know a much better place!"

"Mmmm...No," Masa replied with a bark of agreement from Chiharu. "The Akimichi Barbeque is the best."

"Even better than Ichiraku's?" Gai asked as they stepped in front of the restaurant with a dramatic like flare.

Masa frowned. "Especially."

"Isn't this place the Hokage's favorite restaurant?" Kenji asked.

Lee nodded with a smile. "Yep. He comes here a lot. Well, when he's not busy that is."

As they stepped into the restaurant, they took their seats and looked around. It was definitely different from what it used to be, thanks to Naruto of course. He was happy to help get the place cleaned up and rebuilt after the war. With the Hokage's blessing placed upon the small business, it prospered. Now, it seemed like replicas of it could be found in every other village in the Land of Fire.

Kenji looked around at the decorating, quite impressed. He eyes then turned to the pictures on the wall and he saw one of the Team Seven. In the picture, the three ninja were busy helping rebuild the very restaurant they sat in. "Oh wow..."

Takashi leaned back in his seat, making himself comfortable. He then looked over at a pouting Masa. "Pouty face."

She huffed. "I'm still mad at you."

"But I came back," Takashi replied, not seeming to care if she forgave him or not. She huffed again, this time with Chiharu joining her. Her teammate only snickered and elbowed her. "Well, next time I won't leave you with Mr. Priss here."

Kenji turned away from observing the various other pictures to toss a glare at him. "That is not my name."

As the three continued to bicker, Gai chuckled and nudged Lee. "Quite an interesting trio they gave you this time, Lee."

Lee nodded. "I know."

"They're the first to pass your test, right?" Gai questioned.

"Yes," The dark-eyed man replied. He then looked at the menu as he kept speaking. "They're not like other teams. They're special. Meant for greatness."

Gai stared at his former pupil, wonder in his eyes. He then smiled and ruffled his hair. "Well then, if you see it, so do I." He then returned his attention back to the genin to see that Masa was bickering with Takashi again as Kenji sulked in the corner. "You two fight like an old married couple, you know?"

As Masa's face reddened and she stuttered a response, Takashi laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yep. It's been twenty long years. We can't seem to stay away from each other, no matter how much we fig-Ah! Chiharu bit me!"

The small dog seemed to be smirking up at him. Masa could only pet her, thanking her for shutting him up. "Good girl."

Gai let out a laugh as Ayame walked over and began taking their order. As they were doing so, they heard the sound of others entering the restaurant. At the sound of a familiar voice, Takashi turned around to see three of their classmates from the academy with a female jounin with brunette hair in buns. The three genin looked a little bruised but the Yamanaka guessed they had probably just finished up their final exam. By their excited expressions, they had passed also.

Lee quickly stood up and smiled brightly. "Tenten!"

The brunette woman stopped and looked at him then smiled. "Lee! Gai sensei! Hey!" Quickly, she walked over with the three genin following. "What a coincidence to run into you guys here. So, I'm guessing your team also passed."

Lee nodded. "You bet! You're looking at the new Team Four!"

"And this here is Team Two," Tenten introduced. She then turned to her team. "Guys, this is my old teacher and teammate, Gai sensei and Lee."

Gai smiled at them. "It's a pleasure to meet you three. I'm sure you three already know Kenji, Masa, and Takashi."

The darker skinned boy in the group nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Hey guys." He had black hair put into thick dreads that were pulled back in a ponytail in the back with a few hanging by his face on each side and his forehead protector on his head. He had on a short sleeve white top with a slightly raised collar with the ends of the sleeves, shirt, and collar a pale blue with black pants for bottoms. Under all that, it seemed he wore mesh clothing with the tradition ninja shoes.

Masa jumped up and greeted her friend with a punch to the shoulder, which he returned. "Jun Wanijime! I can't believe they even let you out of the academy!"

Jun laughed. "Me? What about you?"

Tenten chuckled. "And I'm sure you know Shiro Nara and Emiko Akimichi."

Shiro simply grunted. He, like Jun, had black hair but it was short yet still kind of messy. He also wore his forehead protector the same way as Jun. Along with that, he wore a light brown, sleeveless jacket with a mesh shirt underneath with black pants along with the typical ninja footwear.

"As quiet as ever," Takashi said with a nod to him. He then looked at Emiko and smiled slightly. "Hey."

The girl blushed and played with her light brown hair which was put up in a ponytail with some locks framing her face as she waved. Her forehead protector was worn around her neck while she wore a pale yellow top that hanged slightly off her shoulders with the kanji for 'food' on the corner in the bottom. She wore black pants and mesh clothing under both her top and pants with the traditional Akimichi spirals on her cheeks and typical ninja footwear.

"Mind if we join you?" Tenten suddenly asked.

"Of course not," Gai replied. As the team sat down, he couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. His two students had their first genin teams side by side. The only thing that could make this better was if Neji was here. He suddenly looked up when he heard a voice calling to him. "Huh?"

"Gai sensei? Are you okay?" Tenten asked, a worried look on her face.

The older man smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah. Now, lets enjoy ourselves."

As he let out a loud laugh, the genin began to converse with one another quietly with Jun starting the conversation. "So, we're all ninja now."

"Yeah! I'm finally worthy of this headband!" Masa called, tapping the forehead protector that she wore around her waist. "I can't wait for our first mission."

"I wonder what it'll be..." Takashi thought out loud.

"As genin we get lame errand missions," Shiro jumped in. He leaned his chin into the palm of his hand. "They'll be a waste of our time and skill."

Emiko gave her teammate a saddened look. "But Shiro, even those missions are important to the village."

"How so?" Masa asked out loud with Jun in unison.

"Each mission, no matter how small, keeps the economy of the village flowing smoothly," Kenji answered. "They're all very important."

"So you can speak!" Jun shouted and punched the Hyuga in the shoulder with a laugh.

Kenji flinched and rubbed his shoulder. _Why do they keep doing that?_

"Of course he speaks," Shiro muttered, clearly annoyed with his loud comrade.

Takashi leaned on the counter, bored now. "Well, it doesn't matter the mission, we're going to do it better than you guys."

"Excuse me?" Shiro growled, turning his glare on the blonde boy.

He smirked at him. "You heard me."

"Yeah! Team Four is a force to be reckoned with!" Masa proclaimed with a bark from Chiharu.

"No way! Team Two all the way!" Jun called.

Emiko and Kenji only sighed as their teammates continued to bicker on, not even stopping when their food came.

* * *

**Yay! Let us all wave our Team Four flags in the air! Sorry this chapter was short but it needed to be written and so it was done.**

**And Tenten's team has been officially introduced! Don't worry! You guys will definitely see more of her and Team Two later on. Anyway, tell me what you think in a review and such! See you guys next time.**


	6. Youth Training

**Back with the next chapter! You guys excited? Lets go then!**

* * *

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter Six:_  
_Youth Training_

It was too early. The sun hadn't even gotten up yet, why did Masa have to? As the little Inuzuka pulled herself out of her bed, Chiharu yawned at her feet then stretched, not seeming to like waking up so early either. After the duo went through their usual morning routine, they went to the kitchen to grab a quiet breakfast before dashing out the door together. On her way out, Masa was sure to slam the door shut behind her, effectively waking up the rest of her family with a proud snicker escaping her. Hey, if she had to wake up early, why not them too?

She picked up Chiharu and placed the small dog in the front of her jacket. She then jumped up onto a roof and started on the way to the training ground Lee told them to meet at today. Apparently they were looking to a day full of training. Masa was the most excited out of all her teammates. Despite her getting easily distracted during her solo training sessions, the young girl enjoyed training more with a group, especially if that meant she could show them how skillful she was.

Also, she was interested in seeing what her two teammates could do. She knew Kenji hadn't activated his Byakugan yet, which she had to admit, was quite strange for a Hyuga at his age to not have done yet. However, she was sure that he had some skill. He had to have learned something from keeping his nose in those books of his all the time. Takashi was a different story. Since he had separated himself from them during their final exam, she didn't know what he was capable of. She was definitely curious if he'd mastered his clan's special technique. Along with all that, she was really hoping maybe they'd get to see what Lee could do also.

As she approached the training ground, she spotted Kenji, reading one of his books as usual, and Lee, doing some stretches off to the side, muttering under his breath. She stared at him oddly for a moment before making her way over to Kenji. He didn't notice them until Chiharu let out a bark, making him jump.

He then looked at her and sighed, putting his book away. "Oh. Hey Masa. Hey Chiharu."

Masa yawned and stretched, seeing the first glimpse of the sun's rays over the trees. "'Sup."

"Just the usual," Kenji muttered, motioning over to their sensei as he gave a sudden shout, declaring to no one in particular that his stretches were done. "And Takashi is late."

"Think again, Hyuga," Takashi called as he approached the two suddenly. "Man, your eyes really are bad. No wonder you can't activate the Byakugan."

Kenji glared. "It's an extremely difficult technique!"

"Then seven year olds have more skill that you, right?" Takashi countered. "Because don't most people in your clan start to use it around that age?"

Kenji's eyes only narrowed further before he turned his back to the blonde, done with this conversation. Masa rolled her eyes as Takashi snorted. The three genin then turned to their sensei as he approached them. "Alright! Today is your first official day of training as Team Four!"

Masa bounced up and down excitedly. "What're we going to do first?"

"Race!" Lee announced, starting to run in place. "Ten laps around the whole village! Whichever of you three gets back here first, wins!"

"Oh, I got this!" Masa called.

Kenji whined. "Ten...?"

Takashi only snorted, trying not to show how he was terrified of this exercise.

"Ready...set...go!" Lee shouted and the three took off. He smiled then began to do a set of a hundred or more push-ups.

* * *

As Masa completed her fist lap around the village, Chiharu growled, glancing behind them. The brunette also looked and saw her blonde teammate not far behind her. He threw her a smirk. She glared before picking her pace, leaning forward more. Chiharu did the same as her companion. Takashi's smirk grew wider as he also picked up his pace, only half a meter from her now.

"You can't outrun me, mutt!" Takashi called teasingly.

"Yes! I! Can!" Masa screamed and was suddenly far ahead of him again and getting further.

Takashi stared in shock but gritted his teeth and attempted to catch up to the Inuzuka again, his fist clenching. He then threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Behind him, quite a ways back, he spotted Kenji, struggling pretty badly it seemed. The Yamanaka smirked at this then returned his attention back to the brunette in front of him, happy to see he was finally gaining more ground on her.

* * *

"First!" Masa screamed as she ran to her sensei, panting heavily. She then fell to her knees and onto her side, a victorious smile on her face. Chiharu laid beside her, also exhausted. "Hehe...Stupid boys think they can outrun an Inuzuka..."

Lee chuckled at her and knelt down, patting her head. "Quite a speedster, aren't you?"

Masa's smile only grew larger and she nodded. "Never underestimate the runt..."

"I believe that," Lee replied then looked up when he heard shouting to see his other two students racing towards him. Takashi was only in the lead by a foot in front of Kenji, who was trying to grab at him as the blonde kept cracking jokes at how slow his pace was compared to his. "Here comes the other two!"

The young girl rolled onto her back and turned her head to watch the scene play out. Kenji reached out to Takashi, his hand trying to grip hold of his teammate's vest. The blonde threw his head back and laughed loudly, unable to contain himself at how pathetic this situation was. He picked up his pace and made it second to Lee with another laugh. Kenji ran up only a moment later and put his hands on his knees, panting from exhaustion.

"Ha! I win, Hyuga!" Takashi cheered.

Kenji glared. "Shut...up..."

Masa snickered and rose Chiharu in the air, causing the little dog to wag her tail and bark excitedly. "But you both lost to us! So we win!" She then set the her down and sat up, looking up at Lee. "So, what do I win?"

"You all win...Another training exercise!" Lee shouted, earning a groan from the team. "Now that we're all warmed up, it's time to start focusing on chakra control. But first, let me tell you the techniques from each of your clans you'll start working on once we master this."

"Huh?" Kenji questioned, taking a seat next to Masa on the ground.

"Yep. Now, lets see," Lee started as he pulled out a piece of paper. "Hmmm...Kenji, we're obviously going to get you started on the Byakugan today. Takashi, we're going to start you out with the Mind Body Disturbance Technique. It's a lot easier than the Mind Body Switch Technique, which I've been informed you haven't even began to learn yet so-"

"Wait!" Kenji shouted then glared Takashi. "You made fun of me for not being able to use the Byakugan yet you haven't even learned the simplest technique of your clan yet?"

Takashi rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "It's no big deal. They're really hard and-"

"So is the Byakugan!" Kenji shouted, looking livid.

"Hey! Calm down!" Masa scolded as she stood up and stepped between them before they could tear each other a part. She then looked at her sensei. "Anyway, continue."

"Anyway..." Lee started again. "Masa, you'll be starting on the Beast Human Clone technique."

Masa smiled. "Oh boy! It's about time!"

Takashi looked at her curiously. "What's that?"

Masa looked at him. "Well, it's when I can turn Chiharu into a perfect copy of me! Once I master the Four Legs Technique too, it'll be practically impossible to tell us apart!"

Takashi nodded while Kenji smiled. "Sounds like fun. I can't wait to see it."

Lee smiled at them. "But like I said, we're going to be working on chakra control first. To master any jutsu, it's important you master being able to control your chakra first, understand?" After the genin all nodded together, the raven haired man continued. "Now, follow me."

With that, their jounin instructor ran off. The three genin looked at each other, surprised, then quickly ran after their sensei. They left the clearing area and ran into the woods. After a few minutes of running, the four stopped in a smaller clearing, in front of some trees. As the genin looked around curiously, Lee turned and looked at them with a big smile on his face.

"With chakra control, you can do amazing things. For example..." The dark hair man turned away again and quickly put his hands together. After a moment, he looked towards the tree and planted one foot on the trunk. Then he placed the other one beside it, not falling. "See!"

"Oh wow!" Masa called excitedly as she watched the man begin to walk straight up the tree with no struggle.

After a little more showing off, Lee jumped back down in front of them. "Alright. To do this, you need to focus the right amount of chakra to the bottom of your feet. Too much and it'll repel you. Too little and you'll just fall flat on your face. Got it?"

The three genin nodded and began to focus. After a moment, they all looked to a tree each and dashed to it. Instantly, Masa flew back from the tree, a dent of her footprint visible in the trunk. Takashi made it up a few steps before also being repelled but he didn't leave an imprint like Masa. Kenji, on the other hand, actually continued running up the tree for a few seconds before jumping back and landing on his feet.

Chiharu barked excitedly at Kenji as Masa sat up with a pout. "Aw man! How'd you do that, Kenji?"

Kenji smiled. "It's not all that hard."

"Whatever," Takashi snorted then looked back at the tree, a determined look on his face. "Beginner's luck."

The Hyuga glared but looked back to his tree also and ran at it again. The blonde did the same with his tree. This time, Kenji got higher than before and Takashi immediately slipped off with the first step he placed on it. He groaned in annoyance as Kenji tried to hide his amused chuckle under his hand.

Lee sighed. "This is going to be a long day."

* * *

As the sun began to fall below the trees, Lee was proud to announce that the day of training was a success. After a lot of arguing and yelling between the genin, each had been able to eventually climb a tree. He was surprised by Kenji being the best with his chakra control and the Hyuga even got to get some time in on working on activating his Byakugan. Takashi soon also caught onto the tree climbing by lunch time. Masa, on the other hand, had barely gotten it by the end of the day. Thanks to Kenji's help though, she was soon just as good as her teammates in the tree climbing exercise.

Currently, the three were packing up their things they had brought with them as Lee watched them, a proud smile on his face. "I want you all to know I'm very proud of your progress so far."

Kenji smiled slightly and bowed. "Thank you, Lee sensei."

Lee ruffled his hair. "There's no need for the bow." He then looked at the other two. "There's one more thing we have to do now."

"And what can that be?" Takashi asked with a raised brow.

"We have to find out what type of chakra you each have," Lee answered. They gave him an odd look. "Well, lets just say your chakra has a specific type. An affinity, if you will."

"How do we find out what type we have?" Kenji questioned.

Masa jumped excitedly. "What types are there? And how many?"

Lee chuckled and took out three tiny slips of paper, giving each of them one. "This paper came from a tree that was constantly fed chakra. It'll help determine what type you have by how it reacts. All you have to do is focus your chakra on the paper like you did with the chakra on your feet."

The three nodded and each began to focus. After a few moments, Masa's paper suddenly wrinkled up quickly. She stared in shock then looked up at her sensei quickly. "What does that mean?"

"It means yours is lightning, Masa," Lee informed. A smile on his face. He then glanced at his other two students to see Kenji's paper crumble to dirt into his hand and Takashi's paper become slight damp. His smile grew larger. "Kenji, if you couldn't tell, you have earth. And Takashi, looks like you have water."

Kenji smiled and nodded while Takashi rose an eyebrow. "Wait, why do we need to know this again?"

"Well, even though your clans focus mainly on the techniques special to only them, it's good to have a wide arsenal," Lee replied. He looked around and seeing that there were no more questions, he continued on. "Starting tomorrow, Team Four will officially be taking on missions! Be ready for anything tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" They called in unison.

* * *

**There it is! Some fun training with Lee! The technique list will come in use later once they've gotten more practice and such. The next chapter will contain more Team Four fun, of course, but will also be the last chapter in the Team Four Arc!**

**Anyway, see you guys next time and tell me your favorite Team Four member in either a review or the poll on my profile!**

**Also, we get to meet the other Konoha team that graduated soon! Tell me in the reviews who you think their sensei is!**


	7. Missions

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter Seven:_  
_Missions_

"Yes! First mission! So ready!" Masa cheered as Team Four made their way up the stairs in the Hokage Tower.

As the sole female of his genin team cheered excitedly, Lee could only watch on with a smile, remembering how he was excited for his first mission also. However, he didn't have the heart to tell her that she would be a little disappointed. He then looked at his other students, seeing a less than interested Takashi, who only seemed to be amused by Masa's excitement at the moment, and a tired looking Kenji, who earlier claimed he couldn't sleep very well last night.

As the four entered the Hokage's office, they were greeted to the sight of another genin team already there. As the team turned around they were greeted by the sight of two clearly being from the Aburame clan. The other, though it wasn't obvious what clan he was from, Masa, Takashi, and Kenji already knew, seeing as he was one of their classmates not too long ago.

"Well, if it isn't the little runt," The girl of the team stated with a clear smirk. Masa glared at the raven haired girl. As she looked over the Aburame, she saw that her hair was still pulled back into a messy, low ponytail and she wore a dark green, long coat with a raised collar with black pants underneath. Her headband was settled around her waist while round, black tinted glasses were set in front of her eyes. "I still can't believe you passed.

Masa and Chiharu both let out a growl as the short kunoichi took a threatening step towards her. "Shut up, Haruka!"

The male Aburame, who looked almost exactly like his sister with the only differences being his short black hair and his more masculine features. Their outfits were even the same. "Not to mention the Hyuga failure and the slacker."

Takashi snorted. "Stuff a sock in it, Haruki."

For once, Kenji agreed with his teammate. "We're not here to play games with you two. We're here for our first mission."

"You mean you haven't already had one?" Haruka laughed.

The final genin of their team let out an annoyed sigh at his teammates, flicking his white hair out of eyes. "You two just don't know when to quit." He wore a dark beige coat over a mesh shirt with black pants and mesh leggings under that. Around his neck was a maroon scarf with his forehead protector sewn onto the end.

"Well, if it isn't the high and mighty Senju!" Haruka called. "Calm down, Noboru. We're just messing with them."

The Senju boy shrugged and turned back to the amused Hokage. "Whatever."

Lee watched as his genin had a glaring contest with the Aburame twins before a voice spoke up. "Haruka. Haruki. Don't embarrass the clan by acting so childish." The dark-haired man quickly looked up to see Shino standing not far from the team. How had he not noticed him?

"Shino? You're also a jounin instructor?" Lee questioned, surprised by this sudden reveal.

Shino nodded. "Yes. To be honest, I'm surprised these brats passed my exam."

"It wasn't that hard!" Haruka declared with a nod from her twin brother.

Before anymore could speak, the Hokage let out a cough, getting their attention. Naruto then smiled. "Sorry to break up the party but we have to get a move on here. As I was saying to Team Nine here, your mission to escort the merchant safely back to his home village which isn't far from the Leaf."

Shino nodded. "Where can we meet him?"

"Down in the waiting room," Naruto answered.

With that, Shino turned and headed out the door. Quickly, his genin team followed. However, a few glares were thrown between the twins and the members of Team Four. Once the door was closed and they had gone, Lee turned his attention to Naruto with a bright smile on his face and stepped closer. The genin did the same so they could stand next to their teacher.

The blonde man smirked at the team. "Well, well, well. You three actually passed Lee's ridiculous exam!"

"Ridiculous?" Lee shouted, sounding insulted.

Naruto laughed. "I'm kidding, Lee!"

Lee huffed but let a smile come back onto his face quickly before he chuckled. "Alright, I believe you know why we're here."

"Your first mission, of course!" Naruto cheered.

"Yes! Who do we get to escort back home?" Masa asked excitedly.

Naruto's lip twitched up into a smirk. "Sorry, Masa, but that's not possible yet."

The Inuzuka groaned. "Well...what else could there be?"

"Hmm..." Naruto looked through some papers before gathering a few. He then handed them over to Lee. "Knowing Lee, you all will be able to finish all of these by the end of the day."

Lee nodded and took the papers and looked over them and smiled. "Yes, sir! Come on, team!" He then turned and headed out the door. The curious genin quickly followed.

"So, what did we get?" Takashi asked curiously as Masa tried to look over her teacher's shoulder at the paper.

Lee chuckled and handed over the papers to them. "Have a look."

The three greedily snatched the papers and they all looked together. Slowly, their eyes widened.

"Potato picking!"

* * *

"This sucks," Masa called over the field to her teammates. Chiharu ran around her as the brunette bent over and dug out more potatoes from the ground. "We were not trained for this."

Kenji sighed as he stood up and added a small potato to the cluster he held in his arms. "Despite how small, these missions help the village economy and-"

"We were given grunt work," Takashi replied simply. "That's what genin do."

Masa huffed and glanced over at their sensei. Lee was also picking potatoes, even though the jounin normally did not assist their teams in the tasks such as these, he was all too happy to help no matter how small the task. As he seemed to dash up and down the field, passing them all multiple times, the Inuzuka huffed and glared at her dirt stained arms as she added her cluster of potatoes to the pile they were making at the end of the field.

Chiharu watched her companion for a few moments before running off and down the field, happy she was not put to the task and instead could run free throughout the field. Kenji sighed as the little dog ran around his legs as he walked to the pile with Takashi ahead of him. The next thing the Hyuga knew, he had been knocked over by the small dog and fell flat on his face, dropping all the potatoes.

He let out a groan as their client, an older woman with a cane, shouted at him to be more careful. "Sorry..."

* * *

"Masa, tilt your head back a little more," Sai said in his usual gentle voice from behind his easel. Before him stood the three genin. However, they were dressed in what appeared to be white sheets from bed that Sai had instructed them to fashion into togas. Now, the trio were stuck in an odd pose which placed Masa in the center, being fed grapes by Takashi and being fanned by Kenji from behind. "There. That's good."

As Sai put paint to canvas again, Lee smiled at the artist's excellent work from over his shoulder as Chiharu ran around the instructor's feet. "Impressive! I knew you were an artist but this is much better than I could ever expect!"

"Thank you," Sai replied simply.

"This is a weird mission..." Masa muttered.

"Like I said, Masa," Kenji began. "All missions are-"

"Yeah, yeah. Very important," Takashi and Masa replied with annoyed groans.

* * *

"Come one, kiddos!" Choji shouted from the other end of the kitchen. "You can go faster than that!"

Takashi rolled his eyes as he submerged his hands and the plate he held back into the soapy water to clean it again. The sauce that the Akimichi Barbeque was known for had a bad habit, he had found, of staining the plates normally if left on too long. Once it was finally clean, he handed it over to Masa to dry.

"This is ridiculous," Takashi muttered under his breath.

Masa nodded. "I know..."

Kenji huffed as he entered the kitchen, holding a container of dirty dishes. "Guys, how many times do I have to explain this to you?"

"Kenji's right," Lee called to them from the actual restaurant. He then chuckled as he took a bite of his perfectly cooked pork. "Even though these missions seem small, they are very important. When you're jounin and instructing your own teams someday, you'll understand."

Choji laughed, letting out a nod. "Yeah! We all had to go through it so don't think anyone's singling you guys out."

Takashi sighed and looked back at the water as he listened to feet shuffle around the kitchen. "I doubt it..."

* * *

"Well, well, well," Naruto said, sounding impressed as he looked over the papers. He looked up with a smirk. "You three squirts actually finished all the missions I gave you. Seeing as you have Lee as your sensei, I don't know why I'm surprised. Good job."

Kenji smiled widely, feeling honored to get such a simple compliment from the Hokage. "Thank you!"

The blonde snickered as he stood up and stretched, looking out the window over the village. "You may go now." The four nodded and began to leave but stopped when their village leader spoke again. "Lee, you stay."

The three genin looked up at their instructor, curious. He looked to them and smiled gently. "Go on." With that, the trio left the office, shutting the door behind them. After a few moments, Lee looked to Naruto. "Is everything okay?"

"Lee," He began. "They only just graduated and yet they've already impressed me, and the clients. Such progress...you really made them hit the ground running."

The dark-haired man smiled widely. "Well, thank you, Naruto, but they still have a long way to go."

"That may be so," The blonde replied and turned to look at his old friend, a smile on his face. "You're doing good, Lee. And those kids..." He looked back out the window and saw the trio down below, all walking the road together before they split up to go their separate ways home. "They look up to you. You're their teacher and no matter how much sass they show, they still respect you."

Lee nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Naruto nodded and sat back at his desk. "Tomorrow, I want to see the same results as today, got it?"

The jounin's smile only widened. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

**Finally! Here's chapter seven!**

**With this chapter, that ends the _Team Four Arc_ and the next one will begin next chapter so look out!**


	8. Creative Corner

_The New Age of Konoha_

_N0M0R3_

_Chapter Eight:_  
_Creative Corner_

"Naruto, today I'd like to request a mission higher ranked for my team," Lee said to the blonde with his chin held high.

After weeks of getting simple jobs like catching cats and pulling weeds, the genin weren't the only ones growing tired of the simple jobs. Also, seeing as Lee thought their training was coming a long quite well, he deemed them ready for something a little tougher than what they'd been given. So, when he proclaimed this request to the village leader, his three genin looked up at him with surprise and excitement then to their Hokage.

Naruto stared at Lee sternly as the dark-haired man stared back. The blonde then chuckled. "Alright, alright. Don't be so serious, bushy brow!"

Lee smiled. "I wanted you to know that I was serious about this."

"So? What's our mission?" Masa asked excitedly, Chiharu jumping up and down beside her, sensing the excitement in the room.

"Hmm...Let's see," Naruto hummed and started to look through all the papers on his desk.

Shikamaru stood beside his desk, watching the team lazily. He had heard a lot about this new team from Choji and Ino already. He didn't see much. However, he had learned a long time ago not to judge a book by his cover. After a moment, he looked at Naruto who struggling to find what he was looking for and sighed. "You know, if you were more organized, you wouldn't be left like this."

The blonde simply stuck his tongue out at him before continuing looking then smiling when he found it. "Here it is! The Land of Honey is in need of the Leaf's assistance."

"How so? Fighting rogue ninja?" Masa asked as she advanced closer to the desk, only to be pulled back by Takashi as Kenji seemed to turn green at the thought of facing any rogue ninja.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "No, no. What they need to is help collecting honey from the giant hives they have there."

Lee nodded as the blonde handed him the paper then he looked over it. "Alright! When should we be heading off?"

"As soon as you can," He replied. "Go home and pack then head on out."

Lee nodded. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

"My feet hurt..."

Kenji fought the urge to roll his eyes at the brunette who trudged behind the rest of the team. Currently, Team Four was busy walking along a path lined with trees. They had left the Leaf two hours ago and it seemed that the moment they stepped out, Masa was immediately whining about something. He would offer to carry her but he was quite tired himself.

Takashi, unlike Kenji, did not feel sorry. He only decided to pick on her. "Are they bleeding yet?"

Masa huffed. "No..."

"Then don't complain," Takashi replied with a smirk which Masa replied with a kick to his back.

Lee sighed as the bickering picked up between the group. He was surprised it took it this long to happen. However, he couldn't help but smile. At least it gave them all something to do. He did note to himself though that he should probably get them to work on their teamwork soon. Maybe the next time they train.

Chiharu let out a bark up to the brunette. Masa looked down and picked her up with a sigh and placed her in her jacket. "Well, at least your feet won't hurt anymore..."

* * *

As Masa rolled around on Lee's bed at the inn they had checked into, her instructor was looking out the balcony while Kenji and Takashi threw a ball back and forth between them. Chiharu sat beside her companion and watched the two boys and the ball. She then made a jump for it and missed. The three chuckled at the small dog's obvious frustration with them.

Finally, the spandex wearing jounin turned to face his team. "Alright! There's no place to train here but we can still talk about techniques."

"Like?" Kenji questioned curiously.

Lee sat in front of them and smiled. "Lets try something called Creative Corner."

"What?" Takashi asked, not sounding enthused at all. "You're serious?"

"Of course!" Lee took out some paper and pencils from his bag and passed them out. "Alright. Lets talk about your progress so far. Masa, you've been able to do two moves from your clan and can even summon some lightning."

The brunette smirked. "Yep!"

"Takashi," He started again, turning to the blonde boy. "You've also been able to learn two techniques from your clan. And even two moves dealing with water! Nice!"

Takashi nodded. "Well, of course."

"And Kenji," Lee said, turning to the Hyuga, who looked a little down. "Even though you haven't activated the Byakugan yet, you've still shown much progress. You've got three earth style moves in your belt and you've even seemed to have gotten a handle on some of the basics of medical ninjutsu so that's good."

Kenji smiled a little. "Thanks."

"Now, time for something new!" He announced proudly. "And when I mean new, I mean new! You each have two tasks. One, being to come up with your own move that involves your clan's techniques and your affinity. Two, you'll be working together to come up with a formation all your own!"

The three only stared at the smiling man. He wasn't serious, was he? Creating your own technique took a lot of skill and years of training, which none of them had at the moment it seemed. This was a horrible idea. The only good idea that they could get out of this whole Creative Corner thing was the idea to come up with a formation. That they could do.

"Well?" Lee asked after a moment.

Kenji sighed and spoke up. "Alright."

* * *

The next day on the road, Lee was delighted to hear his little genin discussing a formation in low whispers behind him as he walked. He knew that the whole Creative Corner idea was a good thing, even if Naruto didn't. He was sure this would not only increase their skills but also help build bonds between them and clean up their teamwork.

By nightfall, as the genin were setting up camp and training together on more chakra control and target practice, Lee was trying not to jump up and down by the fire with excitement. He could only wonder what they were coming up with behind him. He hoped it was something all their own. However, he was sure of it. The trio had ways of surprising him too so he was sure they'd only do it again this time.

* * *

By the third night of the trip, at another inn, the three were outside and attempting this new formation. They had informed their jounin instructor to stay away from their practice. However, Lee couldn't resist and followed the team to their training spot. It was a small clearing they had scouted out when they first arrived to the small village. He quickly made himself comfortable in a tree and watched the three get to work.

"Alright," Kenji began. "We've been over this again and again. I think we got it down enough to actually attempt it. You guys ready?" The other two genin nodded and got into place. "Alright, go!" The Hyuga then threw his hands together and summoned a clone which then transformed into an enemy ninja.

Takashi nodded. "Right!" He quickly formed the hand signs and then aimed them at the target. After a moment, nothing happened. The blonde groaned and let his head fall. "Dang it..."

"Come on, Takashi!" Masa shouted as Chiharu barked her own encouragements.

The Yamanaka turned to her quickly and sat down. "This was a stupid idea. We can't create a good formation. Not with our differing clan skills and affinities."

Masa glared. "Why are you so negative?"

"Force of habit," He replied simply.

"Well quit it!"

"No."

"You're so annoying!" The brunette then tackled him down, getting into a wrestling match with him.

Kenji sighed. "Guys...come on. We can do this. Let's try again, okay?" No response. He glared and quickly joined the brawl, trying to tear them a part.

As Lee watched the three genin roll around in the dirt as Chiharu ran around them and barked, he could only stare. Then he began laughing. He couldn't help it. They were too much. He was right though. They did surprise him once again. Just not how he expected.

* * *

The next morning as the team began the last long walk to the Land of Honey, Lee couldn't fight his smile as he walked ahead of the brooding genin. He still couldn't forget about last night and how Masa practically ripped Takashi's hair out which only made Kenji scream louder for them to stop. They were definitely an interesting trio.

He then glanced back at them. "You three okay?" With mumble replies, he only chuckled. They looked up at him, confused. "I saw your little brawl last night. I couldn't help but peek at your practice." He turned back ahead. "Your team dynamic is pretty good."

"Team dynamic? Good?" Kenji questioned, shocked. "We practically tore each other a part out there!"

Masa threw Takashi a glare. "I would have too..."

The blonde simply returned the glare.

"Well, sometimes hitting each other is more intimate than hugs," Lee shrugged, thinking now. "Once you hit someone, don't you feel a lot more comfortable around them. I don't know why but you just do." The three glanced at each other oddly as he continued. "And with your dynamic, isn't it obvious? Kenji, you hold the team together. You're stable. The peacekeeper."

Kenji smiled slightly. "Well, yeah. That's true."

"And Masa," Lee smiled as the brunette rose an eyebrow curiously. "You're the headstrong one that's the first to run in and deliver the first punch.A natural born warrior and huntress."

Masa smirked. "Well, I don't like to brag but it's true."

Takashi rolled his eyes at her as his sensei finally came to him. "And Takashi...You're the realist. You say what needs to be said and in the end that can save your comrades' lives someday." He stopped in the middle of the road and turned around to face them. "You each are your own person but together, even though you might not realize it yet, you're beginning to act as one. A real team."

"Really?" Kenji questioned.

"I don't see it," Takashi muttered.

Lee chuckled and turned back ahead to continue walking. "One day...you will." The three genin looked at each other curiously before looking to their instructor before running after him as he suddenly dashed ahead. "Last one to the Land of Honey is a rotten egg!"

* * *

**That chapter wasn't very eventful but it brings us smoothly into our next arc! I hope to see you guys here next time when the fun really begins! Can't wait!**


	9. Update

Hey guys. Sadly, this is not a chapter. This is to tell you all that I'm not dead just extremely busy with classes. This has been my busiest year yet actually, and it just started. This means that I don't know when I'll be able to update. I mean, I have already started the next chapter but when I come back to it after a long night of homework, my brain is dead. So I'm sorry but I will be trying my hardest to update when I can.

I hope you guys understand and have great years yourselves if you're also back in classes!


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